After years of speculation, Apple is getting into VR and AR in a big way. During its WWDC 2023 developer conference keynote, the company announced Vision Pro, an XR headset that combines both virtual and augmented reality. This will be Apple’s first major hardware category since the launch of the Apple Watch in 2015.
The hardware includes a battery pack that is wired to the headset and slips into your belt or pocket. With your eyes visible on the external display, other people can see when you’re immersed in VR, so people don’t feel isolated. Apple hasn’t announced the specs yet, but we’ll update this article when they do.
Using Apple Vision Pro
Apple’s operating system for AR and VR will be somewhat familiar to iOS and iPadOS users with a home screen complete with app icons and sortable widgets.
Your space has a home view that makes your apps appear to float in your room. Responds to light and casts shadows on the house. You can scale the app and place it anywhere in the space.
The key here is the switch between AR and VR. Apple relies on the combination of the two to ensure that people wearing headsets don’t feel completely cut off from the world. A dial similar to the Apple Watch’s digital crown lets you navigate between AR and VR.
The headset only relies on your eyes, hands and voice. I don’t have a controller. Graphic elements on the screen respond to the user’s gaze and are selected with a finger tap. You can scroll by flicking your hand.
Apple uses the name EyeSight to show your eyes to nearby people on external screens. According to the company, this keeps you from isolating yourself from others and lets them know if you’re immersed in VR or can be seen in AR.
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A “canvas for apps” is provided to improve productivity. Apps can be placed anywhere on the screen. It looks like a floating version of a Mac, with web browsing and other productivity apps placed in space. Move from form app to app with a turn of your head. You can even put a 3D object in front of you and see it from every angle.
Vision Pro works with Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard, so you can use Bluetooth accessories. You can even use your Mac to put your Mac’s screen on the headset to see his massive 4K display.
There’s also a version of FaceTime that lets you see a digital version of someone else in a 1:1 call. As new people are added, they just pop up in front of you. You can share apps with others during a call.
Apple touted it as a multimedia machine for use outside of work. Photos float in the air and iPhone panoramas wrap around you. Simply press a button on the unit to take a photo or video and later view it in 3D. Vision Pro blinks to let others know it’s taking an image.
Vision Pro also functions as a personal cinema. You can adjust the size of the space and the OS will automatically darken the surrounding area while adding spatial audio. You can even add an “environment” to act as a giant movie theater that’s bigger than your home. Specialty cinemas are meant to focus exclusively on movies. You can also watch 3D “space” movies.Apple unveiled Avatar: Path of Water.
You can also use Vision Pro to play Apple Arcade games that support game controllers. Apple promises hundreds of titles on launch day.
Apple CEO Bob Iger joined Apple CEO Tim Cook at WWDC to unveil Disney Plus, which includes customized versions of shows such as: mandalorian, Also includes a customized ESPN game view to view replays in 3D.If you also see Marvel: What if? A game that puts you in the shoes of a superhero. It’s clear that Apple has a partner for this headset. Disney Plus will be ready on launch day, Iger said.
In development… please update for more details.
